Not Even if You Begged Me
by Arian Rose Light
Summary: Ryce left Hunter HQ. She left behind her dreams with the one who took them. Megaman X. She can't get herself to hate him though, no matter how much she tries. Deep down she's in love with the moron that changed her. Though Ryce starts a new life in the past, her past in the future still lingers as a memory. Especially Axl.
1. Prologue: The Recurring Dream

**Prologue: The Recurring Dream **

_"Ryce!" a familiar voice called. I turned and smiled at the small brunette as I stopped my scythe training, giving the dismantled dummy a break. Iris bound up, put her hands behind her back as she titled to the right a tiny bit and smiled brightly. "Hey, Iris, what're you doing here?" I asked, a small frown on my face. Iris was usually with her brother at the Repliforce Earth base, and it was unusual to see her without her brother near by, or even Zero for that fact. She giggled. "Brother told me that he wanted to talk to you!" she chirped cheerfully. I smiled, but I could just feel the confusion wash over me._

_"Really? What about?" _

_"Of you becoming a member of Repliforce!" _

_I froze over slightly as I stared at the tiny brunette, uncertainty probably clear in my eyes. Leave the hunters? Preposterous! Who would want to leave the hunters? I had friends here, a life. _

_Yet I also had friends at Repliforce too, friends I could start a new life with; such as Iris, the General, and Iris's brother, the Colonel. Plus, Repliforce had better pay too, because you were less likely to come back from your missions when you were sent out. All in all, the deal was tempting. But something didn't add up..._

_"Iris, how'd you find me? Much less get into HQ?" I asked curiously. She turned her gaze to look behind her with a fond smile, and there I met the gaze of my Commander, Zero. He sent me a small smirk as he raised a hand-in a way of recognition for me. I sent him a little wave back. Huh, so I guess Iris _was _with Zero. "You approve this request, Commander? Or did Iris sucker you into agreeing with a kiss?" I asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. My red-clad Commander blushed as red as his armor as Iris yelped out a, "R-Ryce! I wouldn't do such a thing!" causing me to bark out with a laugh and place a hand on Iris's head. "Kidding, kidding. Jeez, you two can be so funny sometimes..." I stated, trailing off as another familiar hunter strode passed the Training Room. Dear Lord, this must of been my karma. _

_Zero followed my gaze, along with Iris, causing him to break out laughing, startling the other rookies and hunters in the same room with his echoing laughs. "Oh, that's Commander X, is it not? He's your cru-" I cut her off by placing a hand over her mouth and shushing her. "IRIS!" I cried in slight alarm. Some knowing hunters (meaning Zero) chuckled again as Iris pouted slightly under my hand._

_"No finishing that sentence, do you hear me?" I asked, just to be cautious. She nodded mutely (not that I gave her a choice) and I took my hand off to find her smiling. "Nothing?" I asked for confirmation. "Nothing," she agreed. I sighed and relaxed, the turned to my commander. "So you're seriously thinking of shipping me off to Repliforce?" I asked him. "No offense," I added to Iris, who shook her head and smiled at me. He shrugged._

_"It's your decision. X thought it'd be a great idea to send you over there, though I digress. It's up to you, after all," he answered. I flinched. Did X really want me gone that badly? Sure; I'd accidentally reprogrammed his door to open to my password and voice (I'd thought it had been my room when I'd been a newbie) a few months back, and sure; I'd accidentally almost sliced his hand off during training. But I'd apologized and said I was clumsy (which was no lie there-I'm still surprised I haven't killed any hunters by beheading with hand-coordination as bad as mine) by nature. He hadn't talked to me since and I've been all doom and gloom since too._

_"Am I really that bad?" I asked quietly. Commander Zero glanced at me and shrugged. "Depends on which mood I'm in," he answered, causing Iris and I to giggle. Everything depends on Zero's mood; from hunger, to Maverick-slicing, to eating. He was just a big ball of emotion, more so than X sometimes. _

_"You really are someone, Commander."_

_"I'm in a good mood, so I'm taking that as a compliment."_

_"Is it because Iris is here?" _

_"Shut it, Ryce."_

_I giggled again as I glanced at Iris and shrugged. "I'm sorry, Iris. But I really have no idea on what to choose. After all, I'm a hunter. I can't just 'become' part of Repliforce-just like that. I'll have to do what I did here over-again, and that'll kind of be a pain," I answered truthfully. She nodded. "I expected as much," she replied, surprising me. "Besides, you're waiting for X to realize your feelings for him."_

_"IRIS!"_

* * *

><p><em>"Go. You're not wanted here with the hunters."<em>

_"But sir-"_

_"No buts, leave before I raise my voice. I don't want the other rookies getting a bad idea."_

_"Says the one who's firing me!"_

_"Ryce! Leave Hunter HQ and don't ever come back!"_

_"I..."_

_"I said leave."_

_"I HATE YOU!"_

* * *

><p>I woke up to a cold sweat and wiped my brow, trying to suppress the rising sob. Every night is was the same dream. It had been for the past eight years. Eight years: what a depressing thought. What was even more depressing was the fact that I'd been right: I <em>did <em>hate X.

But not as much as I loved him.

I held my shoulders tightly as the sobs hit me, causing me to shudder as I tried to keep together what little sanity I had left at that moment. _Why? Why, god damnit?! Why Zero? Why did you let him? Damn you Dynamo... _I thought bitterly as I sniffled. It's not fair-whoever gave me the ability to cry was sick. I just _had _to be special, didn't I? I used to hear rumors of _him _being able to cry. Or, used to be able to, anyways. I knew for a fact that his tears had long since dried up.

I grabbed my pillow and held it tightly as I sobbed into it. My body shook violently as I did so, and as much as I hated it, I couldn't-didn't-stop. An eight-year-long habit wasn't going to stop in a matter of moments. And don't go thinking I hadn't tried to stop. I did, almost every time, but I could never find the heart to stop and just accept the act the person I _loved _hated me. Was this how Zero felt when Iris died? I flinched as I gazed out the window, to find the birds starting to sing and the sun rising. Today was a new day.

Today was my birthday.


	2. Chapter 1: Limited Days

**Chapter 1: Limited Days **

The day started out like any other after my cry fest: I was nagged to by an annoying virus that I'd named Data (she seemed to be a know-it-all). She didn't remember anything before waking up in my systems, deciding to make her number one priority to annoy the living daylights out of me. One time I had even smashed my head into a wall, just to be rid of her. Yeah; she was _that _bad. Oh course, Alice and Thomas stopped me, but I think Albert recorded behind my back. I think it's on that "Youtube" thing that's so popular in this time.

_"It took five minutes for your systems to even turn on and an extra ten for you to even wake_ _up." _I groaned. Not this morning, please. _"If we were in the future you'd have turned on in mere seconds and be ready to go." _I scowled into the mirror, turning my supposed pretty face ugly. "Data, just be quiet for once. If you don't remember, I was fired from the one job that kept me going with the one guy who I once loved and now hate. That job was in the future and I'm grateful that I somehow found my way into the past. Thomas and Albert try to help my systems as best as they can, they even let me live here, and I'm grateful for that. I can't ask for more, so deal with it." The virus grumbled to herself and I stuck my tongue out in the mirror. Still, it felt good to annoy the virus that annoys me. It almost made me smile.

Almost.

I washed my face, drying myself with a towel, before staring at myself in the mirror. What little I remembered of my creator was the fact he'd been obsessed with the military and weapons. He'd constantly would show me weapons and devices he created to help the war against Mavericks while I was being created. Said I'd be his prize and nothing would ever beat my creation. The day I'd been completed I was sold off to the Maverick Hunters, where I was immediately given a weapon and trained. I'd never felt so betrayed, not even _his _betrayal was to rival with my creator's. A year after becoming a hunter, I was given a rare day off and I used it to go find my creator. Lo and behold, when I arrived at the old warehouse, everything was in ruins from the recent Maverick attack. I found my creator's body in the wreckage.

I still cried when I found him dead.

I pulled at my right eye lid and stared at my brown eyes. I-at one time-hated the color of my eyes, but an incident on a mission changed my opinion. That was long before the last war with Repliforce. I felt myself choke up. I looked like Iris, both Colonel and Zero knew it. Only differences were the fact I didn't have a British accent, I had brown eyes, and I could fight. Well, that was back then. I could add another item onto the list: Short hair. I cut it off. I loved my hair, even now, but to have a new start I needed a new face. In my opinion, at least. I ran my hand through my hair. By now it made its way to my mid chest, so I'd have to cut it again soon.

_Knock. Knock. _

I turned around, letting my eye be, and called, "Come in!" I heard the door creak open (I seriously have got to fix that) and a small, ten year old head poked into my bathroom doorway. Her big, blue eyes stared at me with worry and I sighed as I walked over. "You okay, Alice?" I asked. She shook her head and hiccuped. "I-I had a bad dream," she stuttered. I picked her up and brought her over to my bed. She clung to my arm as she shook, probably crying. I put my other hand on her head and just pet her. "Calm down, Alice, it was just a dream," I stated softly. She just clung tighter.

"But it seemed so _real_," she whispered hoarsely. I sighed again and just hugged her tightly, knowing she just needed the action and not senseless words. I just hugged her for an hour straight, until she fell asleep peacefully. I tucked her into my bed, drawing the covers up to her chest as she clung to a pillow in my face. I let a ghost of what could have been a smile appear before having it vanish and walking out. I walked downstairs and offered Thomas a wave of good morning. He smiled brightly at me as he set down a plate of burnt bacon. I offered to do the cooking, seeing as I had learned as a rookie and had had it programmed into me (I don't know, my creator was probably a weird man), but Thomas had said that he'd do it. Sooner or later, either he and or Alice would get themselves sick with food poisoning and I'd force myself upon them to do the cooking.

That or Thomas would finally make that house 'bot I've been telling him to make.

I chewed the bacon, just to comfort Thomas, but didn't dare swallow. I wasn't too sure how my systems would take it and I didn't want to find out. "So, Ryce-" The one thing I couldn't bear to part with was my name. "-how did you sleep?" Thomas asked as he sat down, pouting himself a glass of orange juice. A small, fake smirk-almost a smile-appeared on my face as I sip the bacon into a napkin and lied, "Fine. How'd you sleep?" Thomas sighed.

"Alice woke me up earlier about a nightmare. It's the fifth one this month."

I stopped chewing my next piece of bacon and involuntarily swallowed, causing me to choke. I banged against my chest as Thomas handed me a glass of water, a worried look on his face. "Wha-what?" I asked again. "T-the fifth?" I coughed again and took a heavy sip of water, practically drowning myself. He nodded and I suddenly noticed the heavy look in his eye. I had noticed it earlier but always thought it was about the state evaluation to choose either robotics or computer programming that was happening in a few months.

"Yes, sadly. She tells me she doesn't want to talk about it, and I caught her crying last night."

I blanched. "C-crying? It's that bad?"

Thomas sighed. "I have to assume so. She seems to be avoiding sleep. I caught her trying to figure out how to make coffee a few weeks ago and when I asked what it was for, she said, 'She didn't want to fall asleep yet."

It was then and there I realized I wasn't the only one suffering.

All my eight years of torment... Was that what was possibly effecting Alice? My moods? She's always been sensitive like that, especially when picking up on moods. Is it possible I injured her mental state? I felt the blood drain from my face at the thought. _I can't be like this anymore, _I thought. _This isn't just me now. If I'm affecting Alice like this then-then... Then I need to somehow snap out of my depression. I need to grow up. _And I won't lie: I was relieved to finally have a better reason to snap out of my depression, as sad as it is. But Alice was worth it. I was just wondering one thing, one thing that concerned me heavily...

_How hadn't I noticed? _

"Don't worry, Thomas. The least I can do is try to cheer her up, maybe take her mind off it," I stated, promised. The older man blinked in surprise, then smiled kindly and nodded. "Yes, I know. If anyone can cheer up Alice, Ryce, it's you," he stated. I could hear the confidence in his voice, the confidence he had in me. It made me truly happy to know I can finally be helpful.

_"I'm confident you'll do well, Ryce." _

I felt myself tighten up, causing Thomas to gain a worried look. I shook my head, dispelling the memory, replacing it with a fake smile. That was the most I could get out of myself for now, but I could work on it. No. I was _going _to work on it. That meant, sooner or later, I'd give both Thomas and Alice a real smile.

Someday.

* * *

><p>Axl wasn't too sure what to think. After all, he'd never been handcuffed before. He'd never really felt like <em>a criminal before<em>. Walking through the practically deserted hallways of Maverick Hunter HQ, Axl got the sense that things weren't going easy for the hunters. Maverick Hunter HQ look like it needed a building upgrade and an upgrade in both staff and hunters, with the slightly creaking metal floor boards and the one to none hunters Axl had so-far spotted in the hallways. Not only that, but the silence around him was suffocating! He needed something to break the ice, or something to _at least _get me out of those handcuffs!

"I'm not gonna run off-" he started, causing Zero to steal a glance at him. What was that he saw in his eyes? That heaviness? "-so could you take these things off? It makes me feel like a criminal!" Zero rose an eyebrow as he asked, "_Feel _like a criminal?" Axl caught his slip up and let out a low groan. "Okay," Axl began, "_maybe _what I did was wrong... But, like, we were a perfect team, dontcha' think? Wehn we kicked that Maverick's butt I thought, 'Yeah! We would make a _great _combo!" Now there was something else in Zero's eyes. Recognition? As much as Axl wished, he'd never met the red-clad hunter until earlier that evening.

Zero closed his eyes, as if this was something he'd dealt with before, and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "They're almost the exact same." _They? _Axl thought. _Is he talking about me? Then who else is in that 'they?'_ Axl was snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed something missing. Something _blue_, preferably. "_Sooo_, where's X been lately?" Was that a wince? "I haven't seen him around."

"Sit tight. He's just beyond this door." Now with the sudden hard edge. He wasn't _this _stiff until X was mentioned.

Just before the door open, Zero took off Axl's handcuffs. The door made a _swoosh!_ sound while opening, revealing the infamous Command Center of Maverick Hunter HQ. It had two compartments, one with a blonde, pink-armored girl (_Probably a navigator_, Axl reasoned) and the other with a very familiar blue reploid on the exact opposite of the female's. A set of stairs led up to an announcement stand, where Axl couldn't see anything as far as he was concerned. Not besides a giant monitor, anyways.

"Here he is."

Yet X wasn't there. It was another man entirely. He wore armor that was similar to one of a general or commander in the armor. Taking a wild guess, Axl believed that this man was most likely the Commander of Hunter HQ. "Nice work, Zero," the Commander spoke, a bland edge on his voice. Axl held back a wince. Was _everything _about Maverick Hunter HQ dull?

"So _you're _the one who caused all this trouble?"

Axl jumped at the sudden voice, spinning around to become eye-to-eye with his hero, Megaman X. He would have grinned, if not for the weighed atmosphere and the stern look X was giving him. It took all his power not to flinch away. "I guess so," he responded a bit meekly. "I had no idea they'd send that kind of gear after me."

"Gear?" X questioned. Axl wanted to bang his head against the wall. Now he had to explain. Great. They were _for sure _going to let him join the hunters now! Maybe if he played it off... "Who's after you?"

Looking away, Axl stated, as if simple, "I left Red Alert." Blinks, gasps, and scowls met Axl as he turned to face X head-on. "Believe it or not, I'm a hunter."

X winced subtly, causing Axl to blink. What had he said that was so triggering? Oh... Probably the part about Red Alert.

"Red Alert?" the Commander repeated. "You mean that gang of wannabe vigilantes?"

"Do you realize how much damage your internal bickering has caused?" X practically screamed, rage bright in his dark green eyes. Axl frowned slightly, noticing something else. What was with all the forlorn looks all these hunters had? Why did they all look so... sad? "I apologize for that," Axl said genuinely. "But I had to leave. As for what happened as a result-that's the way it goes," he explained honestly. He flinched back as X screamed, "That's the way it goes? Do you have _any _idea...!"

"X, cool it," the Commander stated tiredly. "Alright Axl, why don't you start by telling us why you left?"

Axl clenched his fist, his eyes equally clenched shut as he spat, "Red Alert changed. Their no better than murderer's now! They _used _me... We only used to attack the bad guys... But not anymore. I couldn't take it." It was true. Red Alert, Axl's home, had become a form of prison. He's felt trapped. Even talking to the other members hadn't helped because they'd _also _changed. It was like they'd gone insane overnight! It left Axl torn to know his family was gone.

For the rest of the conversation, Axl tried convincing X that Red Alert had gone... Maverick. That they needed to be put down. Every word he spoke hurt, but he knew it was the truth, no matter how bitter the taste. Red Alert was just another Maverick group. Yet, deep in the back of Axl's mind, he knew he still considered them family. Even after the transmission Red had sent, Axl just couldn't hate the man who had been his father. He just... couldn't. No matter how sick, cruel, and twisted Red had become, Axl still saw his father every time he looked at him. The only up side that night seemed to have been when X trusted (more like had no other choice) Axl to take down the Mavericks (his family) with Zero. He felt lighter as he glanced around the room he was going to be staying in. He smiled and let himself fall into the capsule inside. But just before he closed his eyes to rest, he couldn't help but think, _They all share the same sadness. As if they're still grieving. Over who? And better yet..._

_Why?_


	3. It's Been Adopted!

**I honestly have been loosing interest in writing any of the stories on this site, so many of them will be put on hiatus until further notice. I deeply apologize and hope you understand. I've grown, and I realize many of these stories are riddles with plot holes, complicated plots, and–dare I even say it–Mary Sues. I'm so, so, SO sorry to all you dedicated fans. I hope to come back, maybe rewrite, and hopefully–HOPEFULLY–be able to write these stories in a much better, truer light.**

**Again, I apologize.**


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